YES your dog can have a birthday party

Our friend Nikki Canvas’s dog Fira (Instagram @wtfrenchie) had a very sweet and intimate birthday party at Cattle and Claw in Los Angeles.

It was such a delight to attend and catch with up Nikki and meet new friends. And as an added bonus she had a photographer who snapped these amazing photos below. This way we were able to sit and hold space and chat with each other. Since most of us are snap happy loving pup parents – this was a treat that this time someone else was taking the photos.

I myself have never thrown a birthday photo for my two. We’ve kept them very low key at home. But attending Fira’s inspired me to consider a party for either Maggie or Orbit one of these years.

While the event is fresh in my mind I thought to share it with you. If you are planning a birthday party, here are some highlights from Fira’s 3rd birthday celebration.

Select a location that has a lot of space between tables

Nikki pointed out one of the factors in selecting Cattle and Claw was the amount of space between the tables. As dog owners/parents we recognize our dogs need space. Some of them might be meeting for the first time and the last thing we want are some grumpy puppies in each other’s faces.

Consider temperature and climate

We smooshed face dog owners are on the cautious side when it comes to outdoor seating. Just like Goldilocks, it can’t be too hot or too cold – it has to be perfect.

Cattle and Claw’s patio, asides from being uber cute was enclosed and covered sufficiently enough to protect us from the elements.

All the lush vegetation also made us forget that we were right across from the Beverly Center and on a major street. We really felt like we were in our own garden oasis.

Consider the lighting at the time of day of your dog’s birthday event

Soft diffused lighting is a photographer’s best friend. Of COURSE you want to have photos taken if not by a professional at least by all the attendees. And soft lighting can make or break how the photos turn out.

As you can see below – all the photos came out dreamy!

Name bones and cards

Our hostess Nikki really thought through the details. We each had the daintiest treat bones dipped in pink icing (to match her brand colors) as well as sweet note cards.

Oh and let’s not forget the gift tote bags.

Scrumptious menu

There’s a litmus test in hospitality. The one question to gauge if the food was good is:

“Would you go back?”

And I would answer heck to the hell yaaaas.

The food was so good we didn’t want to stop for photos. I think we got a few of Fira by her tier of 3 to celebrate 3 years around the sun.

I had the best lobster and waffles ever! And the lobster roll was to die for. All you could hear from the table was oohs and ahhs as we savored each and every bite.

Thank you Nikki for including us in Fira’s birthday celebration. Thank you for the opportunity to meet new friends.